Over the weekend, news surfaced that a government official has been accused of rape.
Observer was able to confirm that a young woman has filed a report of rape against a member of the Gaston Browne-led administration.
The report was made to the Sexual Offences Unit about a week ago, and an official letter was also hand-delivered to the Commissioner of Police, Atlee Rodney.
While attempts to contact Commissioner Rodney on the matter have proven futile, police Public Relations Officer Frankie Thomas did not deny the allegations, but was not willing to confirm it either.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne told Observer on Sunday that his governance policy calls for mandatory resignation until the resolution of the case.
He reiterated statements he made on Saturday regarding the allegations saying “…I have not been able to verify the veracity of the claim, but if indeed it’s a serious issue, and it’s before the crime unit, then clearly, the Minister involved knows exactly what to do.
“The Minister would be aware of the governance framework of my administration. Where you have such allegations and there is an active investigation, then the minister has no other option but to resign, pending the result of the investigation.
“That is standard governance practice. So, I just want to make that abundantly clear that that is my position on that matter. Clearly, I do not have the details, and I’m not in a position to say anything further on the matter,” the PM stated.